To those who loves a good bowl of Loh Mee, Ulu Yam is undoubtedly what springs in mind. For those who has never heard about Ulu Yam, it is sort of a half way point between KL and Fraser Hill, within Batang Kali.
You can also go to Genting via Ulu Yam if you’re the sort who enjoys a bit of spirited driving on winding roads with good scenery, though the journey takes quite a bit longer (and further) compared to the standard toll way.
Swee Yen restaurant at Ulu Yam Lama
A couple weekends ago Haze and I had a little getaway at Fraser’s Hill, and since I have yet to try the famous loh mee, we decided to do just that on a pit stop before heading back to KL.
The only problem about finding Loh Mee in Ulu Yam is that.. which one?! It is almost like the case of Klang bak kut teh or Ampang yong tau foo where a relatively small area is littered with several outlets offering essentially the same thing, you have to know which one to choose.
There were different recommendations from Garmin GPS, Google Maps, and blogs. I settled on Kim’s blog entry. If it’s good enough for her mom, it will be good enough for me.
glorious lor mee, look at the lard!
Since there were just two of us, we ordered a bowl of Loh Mee for two and a lala with superior soup as side order.
The Loh Mee were huge (I think people Ulu Yam must eat only 1 meal a day or something), and true to the reputation, it was fantastic!
There’s a pretty strong taste of vinegar in the thick soup but in a good way. There were also bits of fried lard, some prawns, and meat to complete the dish. It’s easily one of the best Central style Loh Mee I’ve tried.
lala in superior soup
Then there’s the lala in superior soup. This too didn’t come in a small dish, and would probably be a serving for 4 in KL. The shellfish were quite big and juicy, with the superior soup carrying a kick thanks to the addition of chili padi and a healthy dose of ginger with plenty of coriander.
Good stuff.
check out the huge portion of lor mee
It was definitely a very satisfying lunch and we didn’t even manage to finish everything, the servings were just too big.
The bill came to RM 33 for everything, including drinks too. Glad that crazy inflation hasn’t hit small town as bad yet. I’m gonna go there again next time and order terrapin! 
Address:
Swee Yen Restaurant
No 38, Jalan Besar, Ulu Yam Lama,
43300 Batang Kali,
Selangor Darul Ehsan
GPS: 3.4546, 101.64073
Tel: 03-6075 1123, 012-360 4837
One of my favorite hawker foods from Penang not called char kueh teow would be prawn mee and loh mee. While the those two dishes are related (as served by places such as Mee Yoke), classic Penang loh mee actually do differs from prawn mee in several ways.
a bowl of classic loh mee in an old school kopitiam
The most obvious distinction between loh mee and prawn mee would be the soup. Instead of prawn shell and pork based soup, the soup for loh mee is a gooey broth made from starch and beaten eggs. The chili paste/sauce used for loh mee too is often more fluid, and vinegared garlic is often available as another condiment to add to the taste. Hard boiled egg and pork too are standard with loh mee.
One of my favorite loh mee stalls in Penang would be at Hai Beng kopitiam located just right next to the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng) in Penang.
pork skin, intestine, hard boiled egg, fried shallots, prawns. yums!
The loh mee here is a s classic as you can get. I love mine with pork skin, meat, and intestine to go with the standard ingredients of hard boiled egg, boiled prawns (prawn mee style), fried shallots, bean sprouts, noodle and mee hun. A good dosage of vinegared garlic and chili paste is essential too.
The smooth texture of the soup combined with the taste of pork and complexity added from the condiments makes it a very satisfying breakfast or late afternoon dish especially if you pair it with a good old fashion Penang black iced coffee.
Hai Beng Kopitiam is located next to Kuan Ying Ting (Goddess of Mercy Temple)
The loh mee goes for RM 3.50 (small), and RM 5.00 (big). Of course, extra charges for extra ingredients. If I remember correctly, the bowl I had was something like RM 4.50?
Now I’m really hungry.
Address:
Hai Beng Kopitiam
Lorong Stewart,
10200 Penang
GPS: 5.418358,100.338548
It’s been a while since I had some Lam Mee (淋面), so when I went there to yum char with my buddy Kenneth last weekend, I ordered a plate of this wholesome noodle dish despite having just had lunch a little over an hour.
ahh… mouth watering
Living Food Restaurant has been in operation for quite a number of years, and is actually operated by the sister of the famous May King Lam Mee at Pudu. The interior of the restaurant, while resembles a kopitiam, is clean and air conditioned.
Ordering food is very simple too, just write down the number of items you want on the little ordering template provided, and hand it to the waiter. Prices are written on a giant board on the wall, so you can work with your budget. It’s simple and minimizes a lot of waiting time.
ordering is easy as 1-2-3
I ordered the Lam Mee with thin noodle and mee hun, while Kenneth had the more traditional version with the thicker noodle. The dish basically resembles Loh Mee (卤面) in Penang, like the famous outlet in Chai Leng Park, Penang. The biggest difference being the chili paste provided, Loh Mee usually comes with the Prawn Mee style chili paste and finely chopped garlic, while Lam Mee here comes with a thinner, but spicier chili paste.
prices are written on the wall
The flavor of the dish was very good, with the sauce thick and best served warm. The ingredients include prawn, slices of pork, bean sprouts, fried shallots, some green onion as garnish, and of course, your choice of noodle. We also ordered some “fu chuk”, fish ball, and deep fried “sui kow” in an attempt to stuff ourselves.
Living Food Restaurant is located at Uptown
The main dish costs from RM 4.50 to RM 5.30, and the side orders were RM0.80 a piece. Pretty reasonably priced, and a satisfying tea time indeed. Do note that this restaurant is not opened for dinner though, they only serve from morning till around 6pm.
This Lam Mee place is just a few shops away from Sate Kajang Haji Samuri, and just behind the economical Hokano Japanese restaurant
Address:
67, Jalan SS21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.133060, 101.622194
Note: This restaurant is no longer in business
Restaurant Fei Loh Hokkien Mee (肥佬福建面) is one of the newest establishments in the busy commercial area that is SS2 in PJ, occupying the same shop lot that used to house a rather interesting restaurant called Nutripot that failed to attract enough customers. I thought I’d give this new place a try last week, since it was drizzling and my itch of trying new places got the better of me again.
pretty decent size prawn filled with roe
Instead of trying their Hokkien Mee, I ordered the slightly more luxurious “Sang Har Mee” with Cantonese Kuey Teow (Fresh Prawn Noodle, 生虾面) instead, since they put up a big banner advertising it, for RM 13, why not? The Kerol ordered a Cantonese Egg Gravy with Kueh Teow and Meehun, or traditionally called “Yin Yeong”. Other than these dish, the restaurant offers Hokkien mee, various types of fried rice, Loh Mee, and some side dishes such as lala, braised duck, pork ribs, chicken wing, and vegetable.
clean and comfortable environment
The food came steaming hot and the portions were pretty decent as well. My Fresh Prawn Noodle looked especially eye-pleasing, with the red color from prawn’s roe, and the thick gravy, ahh.. it was just so appetizing. Fortunately, the dish did not disappoint my tongue, it was very savory and the prawn tasted fresh and delicious.
Kerol’s dish were pretty good too, though she complained that they have a bit too much garlic in it, personally, I love garlic and could never have enough of them. I also like the fact that there is free flow chili paste (that is pretty good) and pickled green chili to go about.
pretty decent noodle dishes at reasonable price
Together with a couple glasses of Chinese tea, the bill came to RM 20. The normal noodle dish was RM 6 and the drinks RM 0.50. Pretty reasonably priced for a proper set up and air conditioned dining environment. I wouldn’t hesitate to go there again to try out some of their other dishes.
However, if you are into just Fresh Prawn Noodle and don’t mind to spend more, Green View Restaurant, also at SS2, is the place to go.
Fei Loh is just a few steps away from the Korean House.
Address:
Ground Floor, 179, Jalan SS2/24
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
GPS: 3.116755, 101.622677
Tel: 03-7877 9527
* close every Mondays
Whenever anyone talks about Penang food, we always refer to the island. However, there are still some hidden gems on the other side of Penang Bridge, Butterworth. The Lean Gaik Hokkien Mee House at Chai Leng Park is one of such places.
Slurps
The distinction between Hokkien Mee (better known as Prawn Mee in KL) and Loh Mee is the soup. Loh Mee uses the thick and heavy soup made with lotsa flour, while Hokkien Mee comes with somewhat clear soup.
This kopitiam serves both Hokkien Mee and Loh Mee but nothing else. What sets this establishment apart from the others is the variety of “extras” you can add in to your particular bowl of noodle. Including roast pork, pork ribs, pork leg, mantis shrimp, prawn, fish ball, and hard boiled egg.
I had the Loh Mee with rosted pork and pork ribs added. Would have preferred mantis prawn but they ran out of those. The also have chili paste and garlic on the table, saves you the trip to the stall to ask for more if you’re a chili happy person, or if u’re like Galvin the Chow Ah Beng who can’t have enough garlic.
While it might not be the absolute best Loh Mee that I had (there’s a stall nearby the old temple in Penang that I thought was better), it was certainly still very very good, especially with the extra ingredients you can add. I would recommend it to anyone who eats non-halal food.
Address:
50, Lebuh Kurau 3, Chai Leng Park,
13700, Prai, Penang
GPS: 5.385470, 100.392337
Tel: 04-399 1680
